A wounded boy
by Nichira
Summary: After ending up in Eve Dallas universe through a portal in the ghostzone, Danny saves Mavis from a crazy car. Her and Leonardo want to thank him and takes him to a cafe. But there they fund out about Danny that makes them take him to the hospital and call in Eve. Eve wants to find who hurt him and he just wants to go home.
1. Chapter 1

Danny end up in Eve Dallas universe from one of the portals in the ghostzone. It was by mistake and he want to go back home but don't know how. He has also come to see the ghostzone as his home, after his parents used him as a vivisection subject. When he is in Eve's world he come across Mavis, Eve's friend, and her partner Leonardo. In the end he saved Mavis from being driven over by a crazy driver. Mavis and Leonardo was overly happy but Danny's wound had not healed fully yet and did open up a bit again. He really tried to leave and attempt to find back home, or hope someone of the ghosts (that now pretty much all of them cared for him, even those that tried to hurt him before) would find him. But the two adults insisted to repay the favor in someway.

They take him to a cafe where they notice something off about him. Still trying to help they manage to scare Danny (who's personality have changed a little bit after the hole; his parents cutting him open) and find the big nasty 'Y' cut on his torso. The next thing Danny know of he is in a hospital and a policewoman by the name Eve is trying to find they who hurt him. The only thing he wants is to go home.

As I have said so is Danny's personality a bit out of character. I do not own any of the characters. This story is more written as training for my English then anything else, so any comment about my grammar and alike is welcome. Hope you enjoy.

Chapter 1

Mavis was having a wonderful day as she was walking down the street, her arm linked with her partners, Leonardo. Most would chose to stay indoor on a cold day in the middle of January, but they found it more fun to venture out. Together they had used the day to shop, eat, dance (in Mavis case sing), walk and simply be together. They had just been to a 24/7 store and bought cookies, pepsi, some ice cream and a candy bar. Why the candy bar was because they planed to pay a short visit to the Cop Central and great at Eve for a bit before heading home. There were only a few blocks left to walk when a near accident occurred.

They were walking over a crossroad when it out of an side road came a red streamed sports car, in an all to high speed and heading right towards Mavis. She couldn't move and Leonardo, who had been ahead of Mavis turned to try to grip her, but there wasn't enough time. So helplessly they saw the car coming at her in full speed, no signs of slowing down. Mavis closed her eyes tight for the impact, but instead of it coming from the side, it came from the back when someone tackled her.

Both Mavis and whoever tackled her fell in to Leonardo's open arms, that he closed firmly around them. The two adults cried in each others arms and it took that the extra one in the hug started to struggle before the calmed down and looked at Mavis's savior. It came to there surprise that it was a young and small boy with black scruffy hair, white skin and blue eyes, who was stuck in there hug and trying with all his might to get lose from it. It was a hopeless battle against the gentle giants hug. A hug that became even more tight as both adults concentrated there hug on him instead of each other, while thanking him.

"Y-your welcome. Can, can you let go now? Please." His voice was small and unsure but very soft and clean, like a small child's.

"Not before we have thanked you silly. What about some ice cream?" came Mavis bubbling voice.

"But you have thanked me, and I'm not really hungry. I have to get back home."

"We want to thank you properly, for saving my angel. I can make you a new winter coat." Said Leonardo beaming.

"That's a wonderful idea. You are going to love it, Leonardo's designs are mag."

"N-no need for such trouble. I'm not cold and I have to go home. Um, sorry." Again he tried to get lose from there hug attack. He failed in his mission but did give them a good view of his clothes, which made them gasp.

"Oh dear."

"You have to be freezing half to death, you poor thing." He was veering a light per of jeans, some old sneakers and a thin red shirt. They were not even sure of if he had any thing under it. So Mavis hold him close and tight as Leonardo took of his jacket and put it around the boy before lifting him of the ground. "We will take you indoor some were warm, okay? Don't worry."

"No. I-it's okay, I'm not cold. Really. I just have to go home."

His word feel on deaf ears as they carried him in to a mall with a fully working air-conditioner. They took him over to a little cafe, where they sat him down on a comfy sofa and ordered some chocolate for both the boy and them selfs. The child still had the overly big jacket on him, sitting between them, when he was given a cup of chocolate. He seemed happy for the sweet drink as it made him stop trying to tell them he was fine.

"Thank you."

"Think nothing of it. But why are you out in the cold, without even a simple jacket?"

"I, I just got a little lost. But it's okay." He hurried to say when they showed worry. "I know what to look for, so I will find back home in no time." He smiled as big as he could at them, but they could see it was faked.

"We can help you. Do you know the address or your home number?"

When they would later think back on it, they found it alarming how the boy looked at them with big, sad eyes and how he answered. "I don't know an number or address. And even if I did you wouldn't be able to use it."

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. You have been really kind to me but I have to go back now." The boy tried to get out from where he sat in the sofa. He also took of the borrowed jacket. "Thank you for letting me borrow this, sir."

"Just call me Leonardo, everyone do." He tried to put the jacket back around the boy. "And you can keep the jacket till we find your home, okay?"

He wouldn't have noticed it if he hadn't put his hand on it, but Leonardo welt something wet under his hand when he was fuzzing with the jacket. At first when he looked at his hand he didn't know what it was, it was hard to see it on his dark skin, but with a closer look he lost all color from his face. His hand was smeared with blood. With horrified eyes he looked back at the boy who flinched at the sudden movement. On the front of the boys red shirt it had formed a big patch of darker red, that the boy was keeping a hand over.

He noticed where the adult looked and tried to fight of his hands that was trying to get to his shirt. Mavis had also noticed how there was blood on the boy and tried to help, both in calming the boy and in getting to the source of all blood. And she almost screamed when they finely got both shirt and t-shirt out of the way, to see a big nasty cut over his stomach that split in two direction at his chest. There were stitches all over the cut but it was bleeding and the boy was now crying. A servitor came by to see what was going on and saw the cut.

"Oh god." He turned deadly white and seamed to be about to faint, but snapped out of it when Leonardo started yelling.

"Ambulance! We need to call an ambulance."

Mavis was fast on to it, as Leonardo took a bundle of napkins to hold to the wound while he also tried to mumble calming to the boy, who tried to keep them all away and cried.

"No, no, no. I'm fine. I just have to go home. I want to go home." He broke down in to sups as the ambulance finally arrived. Both adults followed along to the hospital and as a medic saw how bad the wound was, the bay was given an sedative to take him under.

Eve was finishing up a report in her office along with Peabody, it would be the last thing they did before clocking out for the day. On time for one. That's when Eve's personal 'link beeps. When she sees on the number it her long time friend Mavis she smiles. But her smile fades away shortly after answering, when she gets to see a very distresses Mavis who was white as sheet and had obviously been crying.

"What has happened?"

"I don't know but he's bleeding so badly."

"Who? Who is bleeding, Leonardo?"

"No the boy."

"Mavis I need you to take it from the beginning. For right now I can't understand you."

"Okay." Mavis goes to explain how she almost was ran over, how a boy saved her and how she and Leonardo had taken him to a cafe. Then how the boy had been bleeding from a cut that covered his torso.

Eve showed aggression about the car and relief about the save. But it was the description about the boy's cut that made her blood ice over.

"How did you say the cut looked?"

"It went right over his tummy and split in two up at his chest." She showed by drawing a line over her own stomach and chest. "Leonardo went to get something to drink while we wait in the waiting area. I didn't really know what to do, so I called you."

"Okay. Stay where you are, I'm on my way." She ended the call. "Peabody."

"I'm coming."

The ride over to the hospital was short and fast, it took Eve less then ten minuets to get there. They meet Mavis and Leonardo right inside in the waiting area. She went right past them after a short nod and went up to the receptionist, a cute woman with blond short hair and the green nurse suite, who she started to pester.

"Lieutenant Eve Dallas." She held up her badge. "I want the status on the boy brought in together with these two." She pointed to her friends.

"I cannot give you that information at this moment."

"Like hell you can't. I want all information you already have and want any later update on his condition."

"Are you family or friend to said patient?"

"No dammit. I'm a cup with suspicions of something more serious than a scrape about him. So either you tell me now all facts you have or I will get a warrant for it."

"Fine." The receptionist huffed. "The boy was brought in at about eight thirty, we estimate him to be somewhere around thirteen - fourteen of age, seven feet height, thirty-five pound of weight and with a body temperature on seventy-two Fahrenheit. He has a wound stretching from stomach to over his chest that was stitched up with thread, he was also covered with minor wounds and bruises over front and back, as well as arms and leg. There were found a variety of scars all over the boy."

"Hold up a little. His body temperature is seventy-two. How the hell can it be that? It's damn near the temperature of this god damn room."

"We have redone the temperature scan and it keep getting same result, seventy-two. Likely have he been exposed to an longer period of cold and malnutrition. I do not have any more information at this time."

"Fine. I want to be informed when he is conscious enough for talking."

"He will need rest miss and his parents has to be informed."

"I'm not a miss. Inform me when he wakes up. Any name on the kid?"

"His name is unknown at this time. The nearest time you will be able to talk with him will not be until tomorrow morning, at earliest."

"Then we will be back then. And I want it to be arranged that I get all scans on any damage on him." Eve turned away from the now angry nurse and signaled to both aide and friend to follow her out. She took a short statement from Mavis and Leonardo about the incident with the speeding car as well as everything leading up to the hospital visit. There after she and Peabody started work in finding out what they could from the scene of the meeting and cafe, and a standard search on the boys description.

They went home at about two in the morning to return to meet at cop central six hundred before heading to the hospital to interview the boy. At home Eve found all required scans and photos from the hospital. The boy may not be one of the dead that she represents, but she would be damned if she didn't see him as hers.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Among some of firsts things Danny noticed as he arouse to a state of awareness was that his body hurt, but that was not new to him, he felt ridiculously warm and somewhere near him he could hear a consistent beeping, it made him curious. When he opened his eyes his vision was at first blurry but cleared up fast so he could see his surroundings. Discovering his whereabouts did nothing in giving him happiness, but did a big number in creating distress.

Even in darkness it was still easy for him to see all the whiteness of the room and all variety in machines and tools around him, it was easy to understand that it was a hospital room. He still felt groggy from whatever was done or given to him but that didn't stop his wish to leave. It took longer time then he liked to just sit up in bed and his chest felt tight.

He was wearing a blue T-shirt with buttons on. It was big and somewhat nice in touch but wasn't tight at all. So Danny concluded it had to be something under it that created that tight feeling and buttoned it open. Under it was a big amount of bandage going round and round over his whole body, from shoulders down to his waistband, with red in some places. And he wanted to scream but instead was near to cry again.

Remembering what had happened before when he saved that adult and how she and a giant of an adult took him to somewhere warm and nice and gave him chocolate. He also remembered how they had found out about his damage. Letting out a sign, now understanding why he was in a hospital, it was time to leave. Or try to while still very groggy, which was odd as normally that kind of thing goes away a lot faster because of his blood.

All process in getting up and out summed up to getting so far as leaning a little over one bedside before a dizzy-spell hit and got Danny to crash back down to where he started when first waking up. It also resulted in someone hearing and coming in to check on him. A person who was male and adult and wearing some grey uniform looked at first from the door-frame and at seeing Danny awake in bed disappeared from sight. Moments later an other taller male with a long white coat came in alone with the one from earlier, and they walked towards him.

He didn't like it and tried even harder in getting off the bed and away from them. The one in gray attempted to get to him but the other one stopped him and made so they stood still at some distance. When it was clear they would not get any nearer to him Danny calmed down. After laying still for a time the taller one started to get closer again but spoke nicely to him and stood still from time to time. When finally near enough to the bed, he reached to a machine that lead to Danny and pushed at something.

The groggy and dizzy feeling from before got stronger but then they went over into drowsiness instead and Danny fell back to sleep.

Next time Danny resurfaced from the drug induced sleep there where others in the room with him. The tall male from before and two females, one in a gray uniform like that other male had, an other in black trousers and a leather jacket. Grey was sturdy but looked nice, while leather jacket had an odd haircut similar to his own, just shorter, she looked angry and cold. She managed in frightening him.

They hadn't noticed yet that he was awake as they continued with their conversation.

"Even if you want to hurry it up it will not change ours opinion. There is something in him that is messing up with the given medicine. For god's sake, he woke up in middle on the night when the morphine should have kept him under till a good bit after dawn. And there is no telling how well or even if the pain killers does anything to lower his pain from the injury. No we are not waking him up."

"Listen here ace, someone have obvious done more then just hurting and bruising here. I need to know who and why, and the best way to start that is to interview the kid." Even thought she stood perfectly still he could see her frustration. "We haven't managed to dig up anything. Neither about him or who could have done it to him. And the faster we do get something, anything, to go by the better."

"So may be the case for you, but for me it's to make certain that his not suffering as well as to help him heal. You are not even supposed to be in here, neither before or after he wakes up. It will put unnecessary strain on him."

Danny was now starting to get a picture of it all. He was in a hospital after those nice people had given him chocolate and found his injury. And he had woken up long before he should have and had been dizzy and sleepy, thankfully that was part did not apply anymore, which had worried mister white coat. The had also found that something inside him is odd which is bad. Lady leather jacket wanted to know why he's there and he also get the feeling she wants those who hurt him. That won't do at all.

Mister white coat was also worried about him being in pain, he probably should tell them that his fine. It hurts a little but that doesn't matter if it's him that hurts. His different after all. So he will tell them his fine and then ask if he can leave, but both adults were still going at each other and he didn't want to get their anger directed to himself. Still he knew that it had to be done. He sat up and started to try in getting there attention, which he failed in when they started to yell louder at one another.

But to his luck so did someone else notice his new state of wakefulness. And got him to flinch quiet badly as she greeted him.

"Hi there. How do you feel?"

She sounded nice and friendly so he understands that it most likely was by mistake when she scared him. He was about to answer the grey one when lady leather jacket talked.

"He's awake?"

"He shouldn't be, not yet. Hell the unknown most be what caused this. How do you feel, are you hurting?"

Even if mister white coat meant well, it was still uncomfortable when he dived in so close to him. It also concerned him that both have now asked how he feel.

"I'm fine. Can I go now?"

His answer seamed to baffle them. But he was really fine, well, kind of fine, he was fine enough to be able to stand. His attempt to get out of the bed again was stopped by mister white coat.

"No. You shouldn't move around, you shouldn't even be sitting up." He showed Danny back down on his back. "Are you hurting? Or feeling anything out of place?"

The showing him back down was not a good thing to do as he started to feel panic. He couldn't help it as memories of being bound to a table and if sharp things getting closer to him. Attempting to getaway he started to wring under the adults hold, and making more and more sounds of distress as the hold stayed.

Then the lady in leather jacket was by his bed and tearing the others hands away from him, hissing.

"What the hell do you think your doing? Any idiot could see that holding him down does nothing but scaring, and so hurting, him. So back of." She said with a final shove to the man in a white coat. But her attention turned to Danny as he tried to sit up again. "And you stay down. Even if you don't like it, you are going to stay flat in that bed. Am we clear?"

Danny whimpered and nodded his head. She really was scary and he didn't want her anymore angry at him, he didn't want to be hurt further.

"Good. I am lieutenant Eve Dallas, and I want you to answer some questions."

And so she went ahead with asking him a lot of things, about his name, where he came from, if he know what happened with him and about his parents. He ended up with not answering any of them, not even the one about his name. It was sad really, because he could see and hear how she tried. She was trying to have as little scary face as possible, speaking as kindly as she could, avoiding in making any accusations. She even shifted how she asked her questions, from open ones to ones that only needed a yes or no. But it didn't help as he continued being scared of her and when she started to ask about his home and family he panicked. And the only thing they got out of him then was.

"I want to go home. Please. I can go home on my own, really. Please, I just want to get home." And feeling scared and alone, he cried. With gave Eve some panic.

In the end they got nothing and the doctor sedated him again, which got him even more scared. The last thing he heard before he went under was how Eve said that a doctor Mira would talk with him when he wakes up again. Whimpering he fell asleep again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Eve was pacing in her home office with her husband, Roarke, sitting in her work share. Their house guarding cat Galahad laying on her console. Frustrated Eve pulls at her hair.

"He's scared and desperate to go home. And still he refuses to give anything, not his home address, no phone number, no names for his family or friends. He doesn't even give us his _own_ name to work with. It could be from shock and his fear that makes him tricky. I tagged Mira to have a go at him when he wakes up again."

"But that isn't even the hard part of this." She continued. "The part that is the hardest is that we can't tag him. We have searched through all channels for him and still couldn't find anything. Even without any ID or 'link on him it should still be possible to find him, if not through his appearance then through his clothes. I don't recognize the mark on them."

Roarke sat and listened as his wife bounced her thoughts and that last one got him to perk up some. "Darling lieutenant, I'm in shock. Three years together and there are still clothes marks you can't mark. I who believed we had made such a progress on your attire knowledge."

"Watch it ace, or you may get to learn my progress in fighting."

"Such a generous offer, maybe you can show me later." At her snarl he let his humor wash away some to have more of a serious look in his face. "But you are right that something is wrong with how he can't be found in the computers. Would you mind giving me a picture of his clothes? Maybe I can find them."

"I would have liked to have been able to go a little farther on this by the book, but it isn't giving. Sure I will send you visuals of the clothes, can you try to make a search on him too while your at it?" She could see on his face that he had already done just that. She frowned. "If you had already done it why did you say he couldn't be found on computer?"

"Because there is nothing to be found. And I mean it, there is nothing on him. Your boy Eve is practically a ghost. With is a reason why this intrigues me. So the clothes?"

Eve said nothing aside some muttering as she walked over to him and ,after pushing the cat of her console, took up the picture over all the boys belongings. After some time with both of them looking at it Roarke lent a little more towards the screen.

"I can't make them." He was baffled. "It not only the mark of them but the style as well. What material is that? It looks like a blend of real stuff and fake. That kind of thing hasn't been made for decades, either you make them purely of clean material or fake material, not both of them. And the shoes too, same thing there. Where on earth did he get hold of these." He turned to Eve. "What else did our ghost boy have on him?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Not a thing. No ID, no 'link, no wallet. He didn't even have any of the things boys usually puts in there pockets, like candy paper, strings and other things he could have found on the streets. His pockets were empty and clean." She started to pace again. "Which makes it all the more suspicious, what thirteen year old walks around with nothing aside from his clothes. Clothes that not only can't be tagged but also wrong for the season. He walked around with those clothes only, it's sixty-seven outdoor and his own temperature when they got him in was frickin seventy-two. Even the room was warmer then him."

Seeing how she was getting more and more agitated and upset he rouse and put his hands on her shoulders, massaging them. "This is getting to you isn't it?"

"The boy walks around in the cold, and by Mavis's words, lost. All the while having a cut that covers his whole front. Roarke, that cut was intentional. Its edges were raged but it was undoubtedly done on purpose. You don't just cut a dissection cut on someone who's still alive."

"Chances are high that whoever did it can and will do it again and I want to catch them before they kill someone."

"You will get them, you always do. I have to say that it's an interesting change that you get to stand for someone still alive instead of dead this time." He took her hand and went back to the desk, were he after he sat down tugged her on to his lap. "Now lets see what we can find on what he had on him." And he went to search.

Dr. Mira had, after she been tagged by Eve, cleared up some of her schedule so that she could sit calmly and wait in the unknown boys room. By how much sedative that been used he should be under for some more hours, but with the report on his earlier awakenings before the accounted time for it, she believed him to wake up somewhere around this time.

She wasn't disappointed as the boy shortly started to stir in bed and soon opened his eyes. They were green as they looked around the room. She tilted her head a bit, the reports all said his eyes should be clear blue not clear green. His eyes found her and he flinched, but his eyes stayed on her face as he waited quietly for a reaction.

The flinch wasn't lost on her as she studied his body language, it was tense and showed signs to be ready to either block or bolt. But as she could see some fear in his eyes, she also saw a sharp concentration. Then the boy noticed her noticed the cup of tea she was holding as well as the bot beside her and she saw his eyes brighten.

"Hello, I am Dr. Mira. Would you like some?"

He only gave a small flinch and after a short hesitation answered. "…Yes please."

She smiled softly as she filled up a second cup with tea and gave it to him. He gave a hesitant smile back as he took it, that after a sip brightened. His body stance become more relaxed and she herself got a bit of a surprise when his eyes no longer was green but blue. Interesting, had she seen wrong or did his eyes really shift color.

"Do you drink tea ofter?"

"Y-yes. It's nice. Um… doctor, is it okay for me to go home now?"

"By the reports you will most likely have to stay here for a few days. I don't know exactly how long but I can ask one of the doctors if you like."

He blinked. "Didn't you say you were a doctor?"

Mira laughed softly and it disarmed him some. "I did say that but not as in one of the doctors who heals wounds on the body. No, I'm a doctor for the mind. My friend was worried for you and asked for my help."

The boy tensed up a little on the mind part, and when he relaxed again he had an air of being on guard. "Your friend?"

"Yes, you meet her before. She's tall with short brown hair and serious eyes."

"Ah, the leather jacket lady. She was worried?"

The definition the boy had made for her friend was so simple and direct, it got her to smile brighter at him. "Yes, that would be her. I imagine that you thought of her as scary, am I right?"

He bowed his head and his cheeks reddened a little. "… Yes. She- she did try to not be scary. I could see and hear that. It just, it just I was already scared and I just wanted to go home. I still want to go home."

"That is understandable. Normally your caretakers would be called so they could come to you here, but we haven't been able to figure out who you are." She reached out a hand and patted him on the head. "Would it be to scary for you to tell me what you couldn't tell the leather jacket lady?"

He stayed silence until she reached down her hand and gently took hold of one of his own.

"Please. You don't have to say what you don't want to. We can start with your name. What are you called?"

"Danny. My name is really Daniel but I'm usually called Danny."

"Thats a nice name." He smiled a little at that. "I was told that you are a bit lost at the moment but is it anything you can tell me of where your from?"

"I, I'm sorry but I can't tell you that. And I aren't fully lost, I do know how to get back home."

"Okay. What can you tell me about your home? If you tell me the number home number I could make the call for you."

"I like my home, it's warm and safe… but I don't want to give you my home number. I would rather call home on my own." He looked at her before he bowed his head again. "I'm sorry."

"No, no. You have already been very helpful."

"I… have?"

"Of course. Now lets talk of something else, how about things we like and dislike?"

"Um, okay." He smiled again.


	4. Chapter 4

I am going to do small adjustment in the continuing of this fiction. For I have not read through all books yet and I have now run in to the first big surprise. I let my fanfiction play out a bit beyond the time frame it have played out in, for it felt odd to put in something like this in where I am in her story. I wasn't at all ready that **that** character would get pregnant (and hopefully then the child (it's not Eve)).

Chapter 4

"What can you tell me?"

Eve was again in her office, together with Roarke and also Dr. Mira. Who had come in just after three o'clock to report what she could about their mystery boy.

Mira had finished with her talk together with Danny about two hours after he woke up, which had been about eleven o'clock. It was a bit of a worry really that something that should keep him asleep till somewhere in the evening couldn't even hold him till noon. She had inquired about if he felt any pain or discomfort, but he had denied anything of such. And there had been no signs of lies in when he said it but there had been signs on him about it. He did well in covering it so it was indeed hard to tell.

"As normal I will be bound some by confidence rules but have made certain of what he felt could be given. I will also give you my personal take on person."

"Okay. So go head, report."

"His name is Daniel but prefers to go by as Danny. It was very little he felt he could share with me, both openly as well as confidential. He loves his home and feel safe there and wishes to go back as soon as possible. But even as he saids that he knows how to get home, it is also clear that his lost. Those are the main points he is willing to let me give you for now."

Mira took a sip of the tea Roarke had offered her. "As a person he is like a riddle. At first glance most would likely see him as simple, with how he acts in both vocal and bodily expressions. But if one sees deeper they will run in to complexity. Without giving any real signs to either hide or lie, it is still clear that there are things he do not tell that makes him concerned. And even deeper then that you will come to something even more simple, like a very small child. I would say that he personally is a kind and honest boy, who shows signs of not only being non violent but also have a disliking to it. He is in essence harmless. The complexity is likely from a trauma that have caused his own personality to be compromised for a longer duration of time. And as an end result backed his basic persona in it develop stage."

Eve lifted a brow. "He turned back in age?"

"Not exactly. He emits behavior in social and emotional confrontation that shows such damage. But in longer interactions he can still control what he don't want to, or feel that he can, say. He side steps, change direction or simply won't answer if he don't like the subject. And he notices if you try to dress it up as something else. He had at some time developed at a reasonable pace, then something put stress on that development and then the stress ended, at that time he likely tried to go back to the first one. But because of damage he took on a more incomplete version of it. It is also likely that he himself is not fully, if at all, aver of this condition."

"A failed recreation then." Eve looked a little pale and Roarke went to her to lay a supporting hand on her arm. "But you say he was suppressed for a more than just temporarily. The are confirmed scarce on him that points to it and some of them is of a kind to the big the final one. You said that he feels safe in his home, so not the parents then but I don't think their fully innocents. A child don't just come home with wounds repeatedly without they noticing something. We need to find them."

"On it." Roarke went to the unit and started a search after Daniel.

"What can you give me more specifics of his family?"

"Not much and it's not from it being confidential but simply that he didn't talk of them. All mention of home was positive but when it was family he avoided it."

"Shit, then it's likely a member of it or close to it. Not his parents but close enough."

An oath from Roarke got them to look over his way. "He's not here."

"What do you mean not there?"

"I mean that I still can't find him. He is still a ghost for both us and the computer." He turned to them. "And I have tried to dig but even under normal level his missing. I can still try some few other things but they will most likely not give us anymore then what we have now."

"Which is nothing then. This mean I will just have to try with him again and see if anything will come out of it. Thank you for the help Mira."

"Your welcome, he is a rather lovely boy so I have nothing against it. I plan to keep having seasons with him."

"You do that." Eve could see and hear that Mira had already come to like the missing boy. "I'm just going to send a report to Whitney first before-" her 'link peeped, interrupting her. "Dallas."

The call was short and fast, as it described an incident at the hospital. Their ghost boy had appeared to be distressed and then panicked before his wound had, in a sense, exploded. Cursing Eve ran out of the room with the other two close after, she tagged her aide as they climbed in one of Roarke's cars. They are faster then her own.

When they reached the hospital Eve did not waist time as she demanded the status on their boy. Got told that he was stable but that they had found traces of an other unknown in him that reacted badly to the first one. It had tried to melt him. They cleaned the wound out again but didn't dare to close him like they had the done before, in fear that it may still be some of the harmful unknown left. An full and complete scan is also being done to the boy.

Eve wanted to talk with the one who had been in contact with him right before or under his first distress and then panic. It had been a nurse with blond neck short hair, brown eyes wearing the usual green nurse coat. She had very little color on her face.

"He seemed fine until he put his hand on his chest. Then he started to cry about a necklace that was missing. He tore at his bandage before I could stop him and when he saw his wound, he screamed. I tried to calm him down but he wasn't listening as he started to claw at it, the cut. Screamed a lot about it not being open. Assistant was called for and we was about to restrain and sedate when his wound just burst open. The sound- it was terrible, and there where so much blood and he kept screaming. I-" She had reached her limit it seemed as she bend over and retched.

After that Roarke had guided the nurse to a seat, Eve barked out orders. One to get a tox report, another was to call her on any changes in the boy condition and lastly to find the necklace the boy had talked about before bursting.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Eve was to say the least angry when she arrived at her office, and it showed as she kicked at her office desk. Roarke was wisely keeping distance from his aggravated lieutenant, who sat down in her chair and throw a bag with a necklace on the desk. The necklace that had been found in Danny's clothes after shacking them.

"What kind of idiots does it take to miss shacking out his clothes?"

"To be fair lieutenant, it had gotten stuck to the blood on his shirt."

"They should still have bloody found it when they bagged them."

Going around to behind her, he started to rub at the tension in her shoulders and neck. "Still I have to say it's an odd necklace. Especially for a boy his age. Wouldn't you say?" she simply hummed in response.

The necklace in question was of a soft cotton string and attached on it was a somewhat big green teddy bear in soft gummy, wearing a pair of blue working pants. Why a boy would have that kind of accessory and, further, get so upset about it being missing that he would hurt himself for it.

No, that was wrong. The nurse had said him becoming upset about the necklace, but he hadn't started to scratch at himself until after he saw his wound. He had then panicked and it seemed he had tried to 'open' it. But why? People in shock can do really stupid things, sure, but opening up a wound like that was off even in that kind of situation.

"Yes it's something most in his age wouldn't wear. And certainly not a boy. It could be of an emotional reason that he keeps it. I will try to see if I can find a manufacture for it but it will likely not lead anywhere. The damn thing is more like a toy then anything else."

That is when her aide Peabody enters the room. Holding a disc in hand. "I have your tox report, Sir. As well as the patients latest status." She handed it over to Eve who popped it in her unit. "They found what was wrong and caused the rapture. His stable now, but they are keeping him under for a while. They plan to do a full scan on him later to find if they missed anything else."

On Eve's computer the tox report showed two main things for her. That Danny has two unknown substances in him. Two substances that do not get along with each other, one melts the other and the reaction caused the wound to reopen violently. But she had trouble to understand the high amount of medical speech after that part. Roarke seeing that and the charts over her shoulder applied a translation for her.

"One of the substances is only in and around the wound but the other one is there not only traces of everywhere in his body, it is also a part of his DNA."

"Like it have merged with it?"

"No, more like replacing some of it. Quite a big part of it. With this chart I would say about half."

Eve looked up at him. "Half his DNA have been replaced by an unknown chemical… and he knew it."

She got the attention from both her aide and husband at that. Her aide asking the question. "Why do you think he knew?"

"Because of how he panicked after seeing the wound. It wasn't only the chemical in his blood he knew about, but also the one in the wound. He also knew how the didn't fit together. Thats why he tried to open it, knowing it would end more badly with it closed then open."

Peabody's eyes widened. "Thats why the medics didn't use the medic wand to close the skin. They have cleaned out the second chemical from the wound already but they still left it open."

Eve nodded. "Just in case they missed any of it. It is also why they want the full scan. If they could miss something as vital as this who knows what else they could have missed." She raked her fingers through her hair. "And thats not the only problem with this. So he knows about the one in his blood system, he also knows about the one that was put in his wound. That indicates that he know about when the came in to him, that he most likely saw it. Shit, unless the one who hurt him strait out told him about it, then he must have been **awake** as he was cut in to."

Roarke's eyes narrowed on the screen. "And it would seem that his offender also knew about both chemicals, not much for any other reason as to why he use it otherwise. It was an experiment, with the boy as a guinea pig for it."

Eve nearly shuddered at his voice. It was cold and with his Irish flowing through. He only ever sounded like that when he was royally pissed and she had to agree with it. Someone out there had not only done an inhuman experiment but had liberally caused pain in a child. Straitening up she was ready to give out new orders.

"I want a steady update on the victims condition as well as his full scan after its done. Peabody, run a search on his necklace and see if you can tag it, you can tag McNab to help. I will make a search on any new chemicals that fit with those unknowns fund in Danny. We will meet up at oh six hundred at my office at Central." At that Peabody left, Roarke arranged for her transport.

When he came back, he saw how something was eating at his wife. "I have no doubt you will catch this criminal as all the others."

"Only if I manage to keep the case."

"Why would you worry about that, it's your already isn't it?"

"Its mine because I was there first but I am homicide. Not child protection or human rights. So unless I come up with a good pitch about why its mine to present before Whitney tomorrow, or the day after that at latest, I will lose the case. And the boy with it."

"It won't happen. I'm certain you will be able to convince him why its yours. And meanwhile, I can help with your search for chemicals matching ours."

They sat down to do what they could before having to turn in for the night. Both worked a good while beyond the normal clock hours.


	6. Chapter 6

Have got so far in the book series now that I get to know that Peabody is no longer Eve's trainee and aide, but is now instead her partner. I may someday go through older chapters and correct the wrong but not now. For the moment let us simply ignore the error.

* * *

Chapter 6

The next morning at six A.M. lieutenant Eve Dallas was in one of the conference rooms walking through there case with her team. There was a short briefing on what they had already before going into what new any of them had found the previous day. Which showed up to not be ha whole lot.

As Eve had expected so was the necklace not one that was sold in accessory stores, it wasn't sold in toy stores either thought. It seemed to be a one of a kind. One that just couldn't be found anywhere. That meant that there wasn't a thousand stores they would have to cheek, so it was progress. The only store needed to be found was the one who had sold it, sadly, it seemed like that in it self was impossible to find. Just like the boys clothes that they couldn't trace yet.

Their mystery boy, Danny, was fully stable now and was cleared as clean. His full scan was scheduled for elev A.M. that day. The plan is to go and pay him a visit after that scan.

And there was still no hits on the chemicals, neither on any legal or on any illegal lists. Both unknown chemicals was just that, unknowns. This was something that was drumming on Eve's nerves. And on Roarke's, which is why he at the moment was not there but still at home and doing an other try at it. Eve didn't expect for him to find any with how they couldn't find anything yesterday, but maybe they would be lucky.

She got the call from her superior at seven thirty. So rounding up and getting everyone back on their work, she went to Whitney's office to make her pitch for this case. Eve had confidence in how she would present it, but even then she still felt her blood boil a little when she saw there being an other person in his office. Already knowing that said person most likely was an other detective from an other division. Still she wasn't one to lose when she was set on something.

So showing the proper respect to her superior with a nod she paid the other a look before standing in front of chef Whitney's desk. The person was hard to give a gender to but likely female, about five dot two feet, with a slender body cut in sharp angles, dirty blond and with an arrogant sneer. Eve already hated her and could just imaging how she would have a squealing voice that would drill a hole in her brain.

Eve could see how Whitney was about to say something when the blond cut in first. "It's obvious to anyone that this case shouldn't be in the hands of someone from homicide. It's an abused and traumatized child, not a corpse."

This would have made Eve smile but she had wits enough to withstand doing so, she had also been right about the voice. It seems that it wouldn't be all that hard to keep this case after all, as Whitney spoke up.

"And so should also the proper presenting of argument to superiors be. Why the case was firstly given to the homicide was due to who was first at scene, which was lieutenant Dallas from homicide."

"That may very well be, but it still doesn't change that there is no murder involved."

"Which is your statement in for why there should be a change of primary and if it outweighs the current primary's argument it will be a change. If it don't then no change will be made. Am I clear enough?"

The arrogant female seemed to take the chief's comment as an personal insult. She also glanced over towards Eve in a way that said the lieutenant was inferior to her. Biting her tongue, Eve kept quiet.

"Now, if lieutenant Dallas could first present her report of the situation so we have more of a base to make a decision on."

Standing strait with her hands in her pockets, Eve gave her report from all unknown data around their victim down to his current condition in health. She would have given her pitch for why the case had to stay with her but was near to growl when she was cut off by the blond.

"I can hear that the primary have done a good enough a job on her part, but it is clear that further involvement from her is unnecessary. This child need capable hands to give him prober care and understanding if we want to help him. Not hands made for steering up and around blood."

"My way of working maybe isn't under your preference, pal, but I bet that it way more for his benefit and liking then your type of 'care'."

"How dare you. A child needs warmth and care, not your cold and objectiveness. You joke of a woman-"

"Enough. Miss Marry, I will not have you talking down on my detective. Any more disrespect from your side and you will not only be out of my office but will also have to answer your superiors. Do you understand?"

Aside from the short show of anger and disgust on her face, Marry gave a fast nod. "Yes."

"Lieutenant, do you have any argument why the case should stay with you or can we give it over to child protections care?"

Now it was truly Eve's turn to give a pitch. "Sir, I do agree on that the victim is underage and is therefore supposed to be under child protection's files. But the circumstances around him complicates that."

"How so lieutenant?"

"Because there is to many things that don't fit, Sir. He can not be traced in any know computer base, and the same goes for any and all things that was with him. The wound on his torso is undoubtedly an medical incision that should not be made on anyone that is not dead. And lastly on the tox report it showed up two unknown chemicals.

These are the basic facts. But if we goes deeper then we finds that one of the chemicals is aggressive against the other and is found in the cut. The other is ingrained in the boy's DNA."

Marry interrupted Eve's speech. "So the boy have been under serious abuse and infected by harmful substances. I am sorry to say but none of this seems to be connected to homicide and therefore any further investigation from your side."

Eve was near hissing out her next comment. "The problem here is the question to why the second substance was used when cutting him open. Since it so far only reacts to the other substance that was already in him. It shows that the predator knew about both of the substances. And this shows towards the suspicion that he was used as an experiment.

We also have the cut in it self. It's to precisely done. I have asked probability checks on how likely the chances are on there being other victims. It came out as an eighty-five percent on it being others that been cut in to." Eve walked up and in to Marry's face. "Danny may not be dead but the chances are high that **there** **are others **that are **dead**. And until I can determine whether there is or is not any murders connected to what been done to our victim, I want him to stay under my vision. I also want to find the bastards so I can stop them from casing any further harm."

Marry had gone red in her face and her hands were fisted. Eve was almost hoping for this prick to take a swing at her so she could claim self defense when she hit back. But no exchange of fists occurred as the blond turned to their superior. "It being possible of murder doesn't mean that there is any. This case should be moved to our division."

Whitney had his hand entwined on his desk. "I do not agree, not with that high probabilities. The case stays with homicide with Dallas as primary. But homicide will agree in working together with child protection as it is still a child thats gone through abuse. Now dismiss."

"You can't be serious. Probability isn't a guaranty of murder. This case doesn't belong with-"

"I said dismiss, miss Marry."

Doing a frustrated sound between a squeak and a hiss she stormed out of his office. Eve turned towards Whitney. "Thanks, but was it really needed to say we have to cooperate with that?"

"As much as I would have liked to give her a rap over her fingers, the situation do not change, there is a child involved and so it do go under their division. Still, she did make it ridiculously easy for me to give the decision about the case, even before you got to say anything. Nicely done by the way in how you responded."

Eve gave a nod but didn't smile. "I have to report an other thing before I go. Danny showed a reaction in the hospital that makes it likely that he have knowledge of both substances… He also showed that he knew that the harmful one was in his wound. Commander, it is a high chance that if the perpetrator didn't tell him of about it, then he was most likely awake under the incision."

Whitney paled. "He was conscious?"

"It isn't certain but there is a probability to it."

"The number."

"Seventy four dot five percent."

"Oh God."

"I will later today visit him again with Mira and see if we can get anything out of him."

"You do so. And Dallas."

"Yes Commander?"

"Make sure you catch this son of a bitch."

"I will, trust me I will. And I will make sure that he will never get to see real light again." And with that Eve left to continue her investigation.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was around 11.30 AM when Eve walked in to the hospital, together with Dr. Mira, and also her partner. It was now 03.00 PM. Peabody was currently trying to calm down an agitated Eve.

"There is likely a good reason for it."

"Or they did it simply to spite my. Or better jet , maybe the Child Protection got them to do it. Bribe, threat, blackmail, I don't care. What I care about is how the couldn't do it as fast and easy as the normally do. All of them like to see what the insides of others look like, so why the hell did this take time?"

"I'm certain it will be alright." Mira took over the task of calming the angry lieutenant and Peabody sent her a reviled smile when Eve wasn't looking. "But I have to agree that they are taking longer then what is needed. It could be something as simple that the scanning got delayed."

"By what? It's not like the kid will up and leave on them-" Eve turned quiet. "Shit" She said as she stood up and began making her way into the hospital's hallways.

Mira jogged to catch up, with Peabody shortly after her. "What is it? Is something wrong Eve?"

"Yes, namely a 'why' to the reason the kid's scan is taking time. The aren't finding him. That kid have repeated over and over again that he's fine and that he wants to go home."

"But we left a police officer by his door." Said Peabody. "He shouldn't have been able to leave."

"He wouldn't be the first to get past the sentry." A female nurse suddenly stepped in to her way. "Get out of my way. Now."

"Absolutely not, I know you. The doctor told us of a female police who pester one of our poor patients. You are not going further. Please be so kind and turn back to the waiting area."

"Sure after you answer one little question. Where is my vic? He was supposed to have scan at 11, now it's 3. No scan takes four fucking hour to complied."

"Maybe they are using a more advanced scan type this time." The nurse huffed at Eve and even slung her long curly hair over her shoulder in the typical 'I'm-snooty-and-stupid-but-think-I'm-the-smartest' movement. And it made Eve want to punch her.

"There are no 'advanced scan types' you moron. And people are supposed to trust you for caring for them? I would rather have a scarecrow to look after me if thats the case. At least that one wouldn't be able to put weird shit in my system."

The nurse turned red in the face as she hunched her shoulders. She tried to give a reprimand but didn't manage to give more then some unconnected words. The shacking in her hands showed that the though of scratching Eve was present, and Eve hoped that she would do it. Wouldn't be the first to spend the better part of a day in the box for assaulting an officer.

But that didn't happen as Mira stepped in to their argument. In front of the lieutenant to be exact as to block them from further direct provocation. "Hello miss…"

"Lina."

"Hello Lina. I'm doctor Mira." She smiled at the other. "And I'm her regarding on of your precious patients."

"What do you want? And I want an ID from you. So that you really are a doctor."

"Of course, here." Mira gave held up her ID as well as gave the nurse one of her cards.

"…So your a shrink then. Then why did you call your self a doctor."

"A psychologist is a line inside doctoring miss Lina. And I'm here in order to evaluate the patients emotional state, as well to search out and care for any traumas. Now, if you wouldn't mind so would I like to meet the patient."

"That can't be done at the moment. He is in the scanning."

Mira stopped Eve's snide comment by being faster on the ball. "Then could you show us to that room then? A scanning involve the psychological state as well, and I would like to see them anyhow."

The nurse still didn't want them to leave the waiting area but with further persuasion by Mira they got on their way. And Eve was now not only angry but also sulky over not being given the chance to mess with the nurse. She ignored her partners encouragement that maybe she would get another chance some other day, and an insinuation that the nurse may not be a nurse for that much longer. Eve did smile a little on the second one.

When they had come halfway to the scanning area the nurse turned back to them. She was tugging at her clothes and chewing slightly on her lips. "I'm sorry but we will have to go back."

"No." Said Eve as she simply continued past the nurse. "You saw something, something that told you that it would be troublesome if we saw it to. We are continuing our little 'walk'."

The nurse tried to make a grab for Eve, only to get her hand caught in a steely grip from the lieutenant.

"You don't want to do that, not unless you want me to bring you in for obscuring a investigation."

Eve let go as she merrily kept walking down the hall. And even before she reached the end of it so walked the sentry in to it. He saw her, cursed loudly, and tried to turn back and disappear. He wasn't even able to take two steps before Eve called out.

"Come over her officer. I would want a talk with you."

Hesitation was clear in the body posture and for the time it took him to turn back for them. Nervousness could be read on his face. "Hello lieutenant."

"Where is the kid?"

"What kid? I have no idea who you mean. I'm just went to the loo, yeah the loo. No kids here." He laughed nervously, that stopped when Eve glared.

"The unknown child with an 'Y' on his body. The one you were put on sentry duty to watch. Where is he?"

"…In… scanning?"

"Then why does it seems like you are out _searching_ the halls. Doesn't it look like he is searching the halls Peabody?"

"It would seem that he at the very least is looking for something, or someone, lieutenant."

"Now, would you like to put addition to your earlier statement?"

"… We can't find him."

"He's gone? How did you lose him?"

"We don't know." The man waved his arms in frustration. "Me and Tommy was standing outside his room at all times, only one gone at the time if needed to. And he seemed just fine when we checked on him the first times, a little scared, but fine. Then when the doctors came to get him, he was gone. We looked all over the room think he had just gone to hiding but he was just not there. Then the doctor ordered us to help search for him."

"Why didn't you call it in?"

"I'm sorry. We first thought that he had to be somewhere nearby since we had only just seen him before that, and that we stood there without seeing him leave. But then we didn't find him and the doctor didn't want it called in either, and I'm sorry."

Eve gave a small growl as she walked by him. "His room number."

"194B."

As the walked Eve send in the report of the child being missing. The nurse went off somewhere else too. It didn't take long before they were at the room and she walked in first. Looking around the was no-one there. "This was the last place he was seen?"

"Yes, Sir. Should I go back looking for him?"

"You can stand outside the room but don't go anywhere until I say so. And if any angry doctors or nurses comes by, tell them to fuck off."

The guard walked out leaving Peabody, Mira, and Eve in there. Eve gestured backwards for them as she was still looking over the room. Getting the gesture, Peabody closed the door. "Why?"

"To stop him from really leaving."

"Huh?"

"Just watch and be ready in case he does a run for it."

"You don't think he has left this room." Mira didn't say it as a question but a statement.

"No. The guards may have at some point messed up and left the post unwatched. But even then there should have been someone who have seen the kid by now. If he walked around. And he wouldn't been able to simply walk out of the hospital, in their patient clothes, not unless someone have been really useless at their job. So either he is hiding in here, or in worst case, somewhere else inside the hospital. One of you help me look for him, the other stays in front of the door."

"I will help you." Said Mira, making Peabody a little flustered. The doctor turned to her and smiled. "Sorry Peabody, but I have children myself and feel confident in finding all the places he could be at. So if you wouldn't mind taking the door?"

Peabody gave a nod and stood in the way for the door while the other two started their search. Thankfully the room was neither all that big or generous in hiding places. But after going through the whole room the found nothing. Eve cursed as she was close to calling in to report that a search had to be done through out the hospital, when she heard it.

It was a small sound that came from the small supply cabinet. She frowned as she knows that it had been looked in already without anything being found, but she was also sure that there had been a sound from it. Signaling the other two to be quiet and to not open the door. Eve stalked quietly over to the cabinet.

Departing shortly with herself how to proceed she decided to simply tear it open, not giving the kid any chance to do whatever he did before to not be seen. And there he was. Cowering in the corner of the cabinet among the bedsheets and towels.

"Found him. Hi kid, no-one likes to be prodded at but that doesn't mean that you can skip it."

"Like how you do, lieutenant."

"Quiet Peabody."

"Quiet both of you. Eve, let me speak with him." Compiling Eve moved out of the way as Mira took her place. She smiled friendly at the scared child. "Hi Danny, do you remember me? Form before."

"…D-Dr. Mira…"

"That's right. Do you remember what we talked about last time?"

"… You, we, talked a-about h-home. And t-that, that I don't like f-fighting, don't like to be h-hurt. Y-you said y-you won't hurt m-me."

"Correct, you are doing good Danny. Now, can you come out, or is that safer for you?"

"… Don't want t-to… **They** will t-take me if I g-go out… I d-don't want t-to be open, again."

"Do you mean the doctors? What did you hear them say Danny? Try to give it as close to what they said."

"When they were in here early, before they left, t-they said they would l-look inside of me. So w-when I heard them again I hide i-in the c-closet."

"I can understand why that scared you, hearing something like that without having it explained. They were talking about scanning Danny. Do you know what that is?" The bay was still for a moment, starring at her, before shacking his head. "It's when a machine is used to take pictures of your internals and skeleton, to see if anything is broken."

"Like a X-ray?"

"Yes, that is exactly what it is, just upgraded a little."

"No opening me u-up?"

"No, No-one will harm you like that."

It took some more talking before Danny dared to come out from his hiding spot. He still didn't want to be 'scanned' but agreed to it when Mira promised that she would be present and talking with him the whole time. Eve also took some time to grill a few doctors, nurses, and officers, for the fuck up before reporting in that the kid is found again and is being taken to scanning.


End file.
